The Montreal Canadiens have been through many highs and lows over the past few seasons, with glimmers of hope and ambition coupled with a plethora of setbacks, like losing, odd contracts, and injuries. Kirby Dach has personified this roller coaster ride. The club preaches patience, and they have been through Dach’s struggles. Dach needs to reward them for it, and he certainly can.
Dach’s Days in Chicago and Setbacks
A native of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Dach developed his skills during his childhood on Garner Lake, Alberta. His talent and determination eventually led him to be selected by the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Saskatoon Blades in the 2016 Bantam Draft, followed by the real dream of becoming a first-round draft pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
The Chicago Blackhawks took him third overall, an impressively high spot, and wasted little time giving him minutes on the ice, playing 64 games during his rookie season (2019-20), tallying eight goals and 15 assists. A wrist injury in December 2020 while preparing for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship derailed his sophomore campaign, to say nothing of keeping him out of the WJC tournament. He suited up for only 18 contests in 2020-21.
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After little to no progress in his game during 2021-22, playing on a Blackhawks team that was among the worst in the league (nine goals, 17 assists in 70 games), Dach was part of a deal during the 2022 NHL Draft that sent him to the Canadiens – from one franchise in a massive rebuild (and still is) to another (which also still is) before the age of 24.
Stop and Go with Canadiens
Montreal’s brass saw the 21-year-old’s upside. He was given a four-year, $13.45 million contract that September, which expires after the 2025-26 campaign.
To be fair, his time in Montreal started on a bright note. In 58 contests during the 2022-23 season, he scored 38 points – a career-high – via 14 goals and 24 assists. For a team that finished the season with a minus-75 goal differential, Dach was only a minus-2. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though. The injury bug bit him again in March 2023, ergo, the relatively low number of matches played.
The summer of 2023 was an opportunity to recover, keep in shape, and be ready for 2023-24. That is until he suffered a torn ACL during the team’s second game of that campaign versus, you guessed it, the Blackhawks. In the blink of an eye and four periods of hockey, his season was done and dusted.
Dach’s Slow Restart in 2024-25
To claim that the 23-year-old’s restart has been slow is both accurate but also unfair. A single goal and seven assists in 20 games is nothing to write home about. Nor is his minus-15 rating. His is, alas, the worst on the team.
The frustrations of trying to get back on his feet again appeared to reach their apotheosis on Nov. 23 at home versus the Vegas Golden Nights. In the middle frame, his attempt to steer the puck from deep out of the defensive zone led directly to a turnover, more Vegas pressure, and the goal that made it 2-0 for Vegas. Dach finished the evening a minus-2. Those reporting directly from the contest, such as Eric Engels, noticed that Dach wasn’t playing as much in the third period.
The big forward spoke bluntly about his performance after the contest: “It’s (expletive) time to dig in and get it done.”
Well, okay then.
A more level-headed comment from the 6-foot-4 attacker followed: “I’m just disappointed in myself. Just trying not to think about it too much, honestly, but you have games like this where you (expletive) the bed, and you give up a goal, and you continue to turn the puck over, and it seems like the puck’s always bouncing over your stick, and it makes you scratch your head as an athlete.”
Bounce-Back is Key
In many ways, Dach represents what the entire team has been through since their magical Stanley Cup run of 2021. They have good players. Some nights offer glimpses of what the team can look like when things go their way. Then come injuries (Patrik Laine, Cole Caufield in 2022-23, the end of Carey Price’s career), shaky mental fortitude, and losing streaks.
But therein lies the logic behind the pleas for patience. Yes, Dach had a bad game against Vegas. It was really bad, in fact. But he’s also shown that he can play well. His Corsi% in all situations is 53%, third among Montreal forwards (although 46% at 5-on-5). He’s third in high-danger expected goals with 1.99 in all situations. The most important numbers (goals, assists) aren’t showing up on the stats sheet, but he’s trying, and he’s part of the action.
Does Dach need to be taught a lesson à la Arber Xhekaj when the defenceman was a healthy scratch earlier in the season? Xhekaj has been a bit better since then. Might he need some time on the third and fourth lines? Possibly. But nights like Nov. 23 are going to happen for players with big potential like Dach. The important thing, especially after missing an entire season, is to find his rhythm again. That can take time and seemingly is. There is a lot of hockey left to be played in 2024-25. Dach might still surprise fans.
